Boskalis' heavy transport vessel Blue Marlin is awaiting tug support after being rendered unsailable following a violent hijacking by armed pirates. The attack took place approximately 80 nautical miles offshore Equatorial Guinea.
The vessel was hijacked on Sunday 5 May. Through the professional response of the crew and the coordinated support from the navy of Equatorial Guinea and Spain, the violent hijacking was ended a day later with the crew safely freed.
Crew Secured Themselves in Citadel
After unloading a cargo in the waters of Equatorial Guinea, the Blue Marlin departed last Sunday with destination Malta. Sunday afternoon, the ship was unlawfully boarded from a zodiac by several armed pirates. By acting quickly and professionally, all twenty crew members were able to secure themselves in the citadel. A citadel is a highly secured space in the vessel equipped with various means of communication and emergency rations.
Rescue Operation
Upon alerting the local authorities of Equatorial Guinea and the NATO mission MDAT-GoG (Maritime Domain Awareness for Trade – Gulf of Guinea), two helicopters were immediately mobilised from Equatorial Guinea, followed by a navy vessel of Equatorial Guinea and one from the Spanish navy, part of the MDAT-GoG mission.
Monday morning at daylight, the Blue Marlin was boarded and fully searched by the navy of Equatorial Guinea and Spain. No pirates were found and the crew was freed from the citadel. All the crew members are in good health.
Shots Fired and Substantial Damage
The pirates shot several times during their time aboard the Blue Marlin and caused substantial material damage on the bridge, making the ship unsailable. The vessel is currently approximately 40 miles offshore Equatorial Guinea, in international waters.
Armed Guards Protect Blue Marlin while Waiting for Tug
After the freeing of the Blue Marlin, the Spanish naval vessel left Monday afternoon, followed in the evening by the naval vessel of Equatorial Guinea. The latter vessel left five armed guards on board to protect the Blue Marlin. Boskalis has now mobilised an oceangoing tug to take the Blue Marlin to a safe location.
Compliments to Crew and Rescuers
In a press statement, Boskalis CEO Peter Berdowski compliments the crew 'for their extremely professional and adequate actions in this life threatening situation.' In addition, according to him, the decisive action of the navies of Equatorial Guinea and Spain and the help of the NATO mission ensured that the hijacking was quickly brought to an end.
Picture: The Blue Marlin transporting a Sea Based X-Band Radar (SBX) in the Gulf of Mexico in 2005 (by US Navy).
